The first season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch had a massive effect on Star Wars canon - here are all the major reveals, changes, and retcons. When Disney acquired Lucasfilm back in 2012, they promised a change to Star Wars continuity. The old tiered approach was abandoned, the Expanded Universe was branded "Legends," and from this point on all content - ranging from films to TV series, novels to comics - would be equally canon. The Lucasfilm Story Group was created to oversee the canon and prevent any glaring continuity errors.
That naturally means Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the first animated TV show to be set during the era when the Empire ruled the galaxy, would be an essential part of Star Wars lore. Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1 has essentially continued the story of the Clone Wars, wrapping up several thematic arcs running through that earlier show, while it has simultaneously sown the seeds for the beginning of the Rebellion. Curiously enough, it has also shown Disney's approach to Star Wars canon is changing, because some elements actually contradicted established lore. Lucasfilm now appears to be going with a sort of "certain point of view" approach to canon and continuity, in which the broad brush-strokes match but the details can be contradictory, and fans can simply choose which version they prefer.
That makes it particularly interesting to take a moment to assess Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1, and all the changes it has made to the canon - the new details, the retcons, the subtle rewrites. Here are all the major ones.
Order 66 Was More Effective Than Viewers Thought
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1 opened in the shadow of Order 66, with the team on a mission to the planet Kaller when Palpatine ordered the execution of the Jedi. As seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Order 66 was not just a command - it activated an inhibitor chip planted within clones, forcing them to cut the Jedi down in cold blood. It now seems these inhibitor chips rewrote the clones' personalities, making them unflinchingly loyal to the Empire; even more disturbingly, when Wrecker's chip was briefly activated in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1, episode 7, his true consciousness was revealed to have been active all along, simply suppressed by the chip. This suggests Order 66 transformed the clone troopers into slaves of the Empire, their minds suppressed, able only to watch in horror as they served the Empire. This reinterprets the Jedi Purge seen in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, adding another layer of tragedy to it, and it further underlines the extent of Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side - as the freed slave boy on Tatooine led an army of slaves in an attack on the Jedi Temple.
Some Clones Resisted Order 66
As powerful as Order 66 may have been, some clone troopers did resist it. The Bad Batch's mutations gave them a certain degree of resistance to the inhibitor chip - although, because each possessed different mutations, they did not share the same resistance. The inhibitor chip partly worked on Crosshair, and it gradually flared into life for Wrecker. Curiously, though, Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1, episode 7 suggested there are other clone troopers who did not follow with Order 66 either, with Rex noting this was rare - not necessarily unheard of.
Order 66's Effects Faded Over Time
Curiously, Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1 also seems to suggest the effect of the inhibitor chips faded over time. It's striking that the clone troopers are much harsher immediately after the chips are activated, but become less so as time passes. This culminates in episodes 11 and 12, "Devil’s Deal” and “Rescue on Ryloth,” which featured a subplot in which some clones actually realized they should not be supporting the Empire. They were swiftly arrested, of course, but it shows Order 66 had limits.
Some Clones Chose To Remain With The Empire
The clones may have regained their free will over time, but it seems some of them chose to remain with the Empire. Crosshair chose the Empire even after they had proved willing to sacrifice him, because he genuinely believes "good soldiers follow orders" and considers the Empire's fascistic method of bringing peace to the galaxy to be the right approach. While there's speculation he will have a redemption arc - this being Star Wars, after all - that in no way invalidates his choice to serve the Empire.
How Kanan Jarrus Survived Order 66
Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 1 retconned how Kanan Jarrus survived Order 66. According to the premiere, Jedi Padawan Caleb Dume (who later called himself Kanan) and his master Depa Billaba were conducting a mission to Kaller when Order 66 was issued. Although Billaba was killed, Caleb escaped with the help of the Bad Batch, presumably forgetting them in the fog of confusion surrounding the regular clones' betrayal. It's a markedly different account to the one previously presented in the Star Wars: Kanan miniseries, where Depa and Caleb were relaxing at a campfire on Kaller when the clones attacked them - and Clone Force 99 was nowhere to be seen.
Project War-Mantle & The Imperial Stormtrooper Program
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story featured a scene in which the Rebels raided secret Imperial files, and it mentioned something called "Project War-Mantle." Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1 revealed this was the code for the Imperial Stormtrooper Program, which was begun shortly after the Empire was born, with Admiral Rampart seeking to replace the clones with conscripted troopers. The Bad Batch stumbled upon one early training facility on the Outer Rim planet of Daro in episode 14.
The Fate of Kamino
The Clone Wars really began with Obi-Wan Kenobi's discovery of Kamino in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, and season 1 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch ends with the planet that was found being lost once again. With the clones no longer necessary, the Empire destroyed Kamino, conducting a planetary bombardment that sends its cities sinking beneath the waves. The destruction was symbolic, proving the age of the clones has come to an end. All the great powers of the Clone Wars are gone; the Separatist leaders were slaughtered on Mustafar, the Republic was transformed into the Empire, the Trade Federation was nationalized into the Empire, and the cloners of Kamino were obliterated.
The Empire's Cloning Projects Began Immediately
The Empire may have destroyed Kamino, but they still chose to take one Kaminoan - Nala Se, the Chief Medical Scientist who ran the clone program. As seen in the season 1 finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Nala Se was forcibly taken to an Imperial facility so her knowledge wouldn't be lost to the Empire. This deliberately sets up The Mandalorian's Dr. Pershing, an Imperial Clone Technician who wore a logo that was of recognizably Kaminoan origin; he conducted experiments on Baby Yoda. It's reasonable to assume Nala Se's work will ultimately lead to the cloning of Palpatine himself, who returned in a clone body in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and to the creation of the genetically engineered being Snoke.
The Bad Batch Introduces Imperial Chain Codes
The Mandalorian had referenced "Imperial chain codes," unique identification markers that are keyed to an individual's biometrics and contain all kinds of information about them. Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 2 revealed these were established early on in the Dark Times, with the Empire requiring every person to register for a unique chain code so their every action could be monitored. These actually form the basis for an Imperial superweapon introduced in Alexander Freed's novel Victory's Price, which revealed the Emperor constructed a massive database on Coruscant to monitor the growing state of corruption in the galaxy; such a system is only possible if you have a unique reference for each individual, and the chain codes would do that job perfectly.
Omega Is The Younger "Sister" Of Boba Fett
Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 9 revealed Omega is a first-generation clone of the bounty hunter Jango Fett - meaning she is a pure, unaltered replica of one of the galaxy's most formidable warriors. This also means she is technically Boba Fett's sister; he is Alpha, the first pure clone of Jango, while she is Omega. The Kaminoans hoped she would be the key to continuing their clone program, because the Jango Fett template was deteriorating over time, but of course those plans have been dashed by the Empire. It will be interesting to see whether or not Boba Fett and Omega ever cross paths.
Saw Gerrera & the Beginning of the Partisans
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1 streamlined the story of freedom fighter Saw Gerrera, who was introduced as an ally of the Republic in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and became one of the more brutal and amoral opponents of the Empire. James Luceno's novel Catalyst had previously suggested Saw was absorbed into the galactic underworld after the Empire was formed, and only opposed them some time later, but now it seems he immediately dedicated himself to bringing the Empire down. The Republic-trained warrior became Public Enemy Number One practically overnight as far as the Empire was concerned, and no doubt he conducted devastating terrorist attacks on the Empire throughout the Dark Times. Saw and his Partisans would ultimately settle on the planet Jedha, where he would die when Tarkin ordered the Death Star to be fired upon the Temple Moon in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Captain Rex Worked With The Early Rebellion
Captain Rex was freed from his inhibitor chip by his friend Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7, but it seems he didn't just decide to fade away into the shadows; according to Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 7, he immediately became actively involved in a Rebel cell, and it's even possible he was still working with Ahsoka Tano. If that is indeed the case, then Rex may have been part of the most important Rebel group of all, the faction organized by Alderaanian senator Bail Organa that became central to the Rebel Alliance. Whatever the case may be, though, over the next two decades Rex must lose faith and retire - setting up his eventual return in Star Wars Rebels.
Hera Syndulla's Origin Story
The Bad Batch's mission to Ryloth saw the team encounter the young Hera Syndulla, who would become another key player in the Rebel Alliance. The Empire attempted to use Hera against her father Cham, but only succeeded in beginning one of the longest uprisings in the galaxy - and it seems Hera would remain an active member of the Free Ryloth movement for some years, because according to the tie-in novel A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller she wouldn't leave her homeworld for several years. Hera would become a notable ally of Ahsoka Tano, even participating in the Battle of Endor.
Cut Lawquane's Story Has Become More Complicated
Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 2 reintroduced clone trooper Cut Lawquane, who had abandoned the Grand Army of the Republic and settled on Saleucami to raise a family. Chuck Wendig's Aftermath trilogy had previously established Cut remained there throughout the Dark Times, but according to episode 2 he and his family used faked chain codes to flee Saleucami and go deeper into hiding. Presumably, he eventually returned, given he was back on Saleucami when the Empire fell.
A Possible New Origin For Jabba's Pet Rancor From Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1, episode 5 features what is surely the most bizarre potential retcon in the entire series; Clone Force 99 was sent to rescue a baby Rancor, that turned out to be sought after by Jabba the Hutt. The episode clearly seemed to be implying Muchi was the Rancor ultimately killed by Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi, although that idea contradicts Chuck Wendig's Aftermath trilogy - which revealed that creature was a male named Pateesa. Disney keeps retconning the Aftermath trilogy in particular, but this particular twist seems a trifle unnecessary.